


Words Always Mean Something Different For Us

by CasanovaCanSoar



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, Frottage, M/M, two guys who like each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-02
Packaged: 2018-03-28 18:09:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3864682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasanovaCanSoar/pseuds/CasanovaCanSoar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They're shipping out tomorrow and neither of them can sleep. Snafu speaks another language entirely. He says one thing, but means another. He tries to talk to Eugene about something important, but ultimately has to really spell it out for him. Eugene is just happy that they're both on the same page.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Words Always Mean Something Different For Us

 

            “Sledge,” Snafu’s voice was a smoky drawl, sounding half-asleep. “You awake?”

            Eugene was lying on his side, staring at the wall of their shared tent. His cot was stiff and barely had any give, but it felt like some presidential suite. Lying in mud got old pretty quick. He heard the man shifting, causing the bed to creak.

            “Yeah, Snaf.” He felt tired. His entire body ached and felt numb at the same time - like he had no control over his own limbs. His eyes itched with dryness, and his mouth felt like it was filled with sand. Why couldn’t he get any fucking rest? He was so tired - _just let me sleep, god damnit._

“I can’t sleep.” The emptiness of his friend’s voice was gone, replaced with a tentativeness. The soft anxiety sounded so unlike Snafu that Eugene’s body began to move. He twisted around on the cot to look at him.

            He sat facing Eugene, the end of his smoke lighting up the faintest orange. Sledge couldn’t see his face in the dark, but the silhouette of his slightly-rounded shoulders and ducked head gave him away.

            “Well, what do you want me to do about it?” He whispered shortly, but there wasn’t any bite to his words. He and Snaf had an understanding like that - words always meant something different.

            He shrugged, bare shoulders making a jerky up-and-down motion. A small sound - like a gasp - filled the heavy silence of the tent.

            “You cryin’, Snaf?” The idea was absurd - Sledge couldn’t picture him crying ever. The thought of it was like trying to force two jigsaw puzzle pieces together that you knew didn’t fit, but you tried to make them anyway.

            “Fuck off, Gene. I ain’t cryin’ - just gotta’ cough, is all.” His voice sounded like a snort, and - even in the dark - Sledge knew that Shelton’s trademark smile - the one that looked less like a smile and more like a sneer - was etched on his face, the corners of his lips curling like a damn cat’s.

            “Why were you askin’ if I was awake?”

            “We goin’ someplace else tomarra’ and I jus’ wanted to let you know somethin’, ya’ know?”

            Eugene rolled his eyes. “What?”

            “I - we’re…. together, right?” Snafu lay down on his cot, staring up at the ceiling of the tent. Eugene kept looking at him, waiting. He turned his head to look at Sledge. “You, me, Bill, Burgie - we’re together.”

            Sledge let out a chuckle - surprising himself. He didn’t remember the last time he found something really funny. The chuckles turned into him covering his mouth - he was laughing so hard, tears gathered in the corners of his eyes.

            Snafu didn’t say a word - lay right where he was and waited. Eugene looked over, and in some strange way, he could feel the embarrassment coming from his friend.

            “You mean that we’re friends? Hell yeah, we are. You got it in your head we aren’t?”

            “No.” Snafu replied. “Why’d you laugh?”

            “‘Cause you’re fuckin’ hilarious, Shelton.” He could hear Snafu snicker to that. “You can’t even say that we’re friends - like I’m gonna’ say ‘no’ or some shit.”

            “Fuck you.” He sounded soft and tired again. “I got somethin’ else to ask ya’.”

            “Alright,” Eugene couldn’t keep the smile out of his voice. “What?”

            “The two a’ us. We’re friends. You see me as your friend, right?”

            “Snaf, I just answered that - yeah, we’re friends. You got memory loss or something?” When he didn’t reply right away, Eugene continued, “If you ain’t got anything else to say, then just go to-”

            “I ain’t done, Eugene. Fuck, lemme’ finish.” Snafu rarely spoke so vehemently, his voice full of fire. “I trust you, Sledgehamma’, and I want you ta’ know that. I don’t trust Burgie like I fuckin’ trust you.”

            Eugene stopped - staring at him in the dark. Snafu spoke in another language entirely - when he said something, he meant something completely different. When he said _“I like to see the new guys sweat,”_ he really meant _“I don’t want to see who you are now get all fucked up here.”_

            Sometimes Eugene didn’t have a clue as to what he was talking about, but now - now he had a dim feeling.

            “What do you mean?” He had to make him say it - he had to be completely sure.

            “You know whata’ mean.”

            Eugene remembered the teasing, lilting grins sent his way when he had walked in on Snafu naked. Remembered the blush that lit his whole body red when Snafu had said, _“Like what ya’ see, Sledge?”_

            He remembered how he’d walked in on Snafu jerking off on way too many occasions, and walked right out - the filthy grin on Shelton’s face burned into his memory. Whenever Sledge had the opportunity to think about what it would be like with a girl - and he made sure his bible was tucked somewhere other than his coat pocket - somehow Snafu’s eyes and smile would come up. Curves gave way to a narrow waist and skinny arms and legs. Rough nails would dig into his back, and he’d practically come right then and there. He felt guilty as sin for hours afterwards.

            “Snaf. I don’t know what you mean. You - you have to spell it out for me.”

            Snafu was silent for a minute. Then, he got up from his cot and practically tackled Eugene, who let out a loud yelp. A hand covered his mouth as Snafu got right in his face, the ends of their noses brushing slightly. Snafu’s body was right against his, legs tangled up in each other’s while his upper body stayed slightly aloft, since he was leaning on his elbow. And - dear God - their crotches were touching too. Eugene couldn’t help the small sound that left his mouth when Snafu shifted his hips just right. He could see the white of his teeth when he grinned.

            “I know you want me, Gene. I see the way your eyes look all ova’ me.” Eugene could feel Snafu’s erection pressing against his. “I want you to know that I look all ova’ you, too.”

            Sledge would reply, but he had a hand still over his mouth. He grabbed the man’s wrist and tugged it away from his lips. He let out a soft breath when Snafu rolled his hips. He didn’t want to just lie there and make Snafu do all the work, so Sledge slid both hands around the man’s jaw and leaned up to kiss him.

            Their lips met and Snafu pushed back hard against his mouth. Pushed him back down into the cot. Snafu’s mouth was soft and gentle in a way so unlike how he acted and talked. His hands ran up and down Eugene’s sides, fingers finding the spaces in between his ribs like handles and just caressing skin. His thumb caught on his nipple and the soft sound he made was swallowed by Snafu’s lips. Eugene practically keened when he kept rubbing there again and again, pinching and twisting them, but then going back to travelling along his stomach and ribs. Eugene sat up, making Snafu lie down and let him be the one getting mauled with lips and hands.

He started mouthing right behind Shelton’s left ear, hearing his breath get caught in his throat. Eugene kissed his mouth again, their tongues sliding against each other. Snafu’s tongue slid along the roof of his mouth, and the sensitivity made him groan.

He pulled back and looked at the man beneath him, all wide eyes and loose limbs. Snafu

ran a hand through Eugene’s dark red hair, fingers gentle and doting.

            “I want you, Eugene.” He almost looked scared to ask it, his eyes big and soft. It was the first time he had seen that look in the man’s eyes.

            “I want you too, Snaf.”

            “Can - can ya’ call me ‘Merriel?’ Just tonight.” His hands retreated from Eugene’s hair and fiddled with his dog tags, eyes looking elsewhere.

            “How ‘bout I call you ‘Merriel’ whenever I want?” He couldn’t help teasing him.

            “Not in front of them boots - I got a reputation to uphold, after all.”

            They both smiled at each other, eyes soft and hands gently wandering around shoulders and cheeks. They found some solace in the night, not really doing much but lying with each other. The kissing was intermittent with just staring at each other. They didn’t need to get off - sometimes it was just best to have a warm body to curl up with.

            When light crept through the camp, Snafu went back to his cot and flopped down on his back - let out a loud sigh.

            “We goin’ somewhere else today, Sledgehamma’. You betta’ be ready.”

            “We’re together, ain’t we?” Eugene looked over at Snafu, just watching him. It felt nice to be able to do this and not have to worry about if Snafu thought he was weird. He could just do it - not have to worry anymore.

            “Yeah.”

            “Hey, Mer?” The man’s head snapped over to him, eyes wide and expectant. “Let’s kill those Japs so we can go home together too, alright?”

            A wide smile stretched Snafu’s lips. “Sure, Eugene.”

             

**Author's Note:**

> I watched the entirety of the Pacific in a day so I'm feeling pretty roughed up - it's a really good piece on the american side of the pacific war and what the marines had to go through. Sometimes in history class you don't really think about how the war was more than just a topic in school, how it affected the people fighting in it. 
> 
> For any trigger warnings, Snafu is lying on top of Eugene and holding his hand over his mouth - so that could be dubious consent. But Sledge is consenting and kisses Snaf, so it's all good there.  
> At the end there's the slur 'Jap'  
> I think that sums it up - hope you enjoy it!


End file.
